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Best of Maui Food & Drink 2008
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Best Cheap Food, Winner
Pukalani Superette

Address: 15 Makawao Ave., Makawao, HI 96768
Phone: 808-572-7616
Website: http://pukalanisuperette.com
The assorted bento lunches at Pukalani Superette are so affordable you can feed a family of four for under ten bucks. Take their roast pork, a generous serving of gravy over home made roasted and seasoned pork, plus a side of rice, and perhaps a side dish of wontons, sounds like dinner to me. Everything is packaged fresh, with varying amounts in each and sold at different prices to fit any appetite and budget. Did you know this already reasonable establishment also offers a web deal of the week program? This week it was ten percent off everything in the store, except tobacco and liquor and other sale products. Plus they have the best local produce around. Local market looking out for their local clientele. It gets easier by the minute to save a buck here.
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Best Cheap Food, Runner up
Costco

Address: 540 Haleakala Highway, Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: 808-877-5248
Website: http://www.costco.com/Warehouse/LocationTemplate.aspx?Warehouse=119
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Best Chef, Winner
James McDonald, Pacific'O

Address: 505 Front St., Lahaina, HI 96761
Phone: 808-667-4341
Website: http://www.pacificomaui.com
Visionary in the culinary industry, inspiration to his Maui Community College Culinary program roots, an artist with Hawaiian ingredients as his palette, Chef James McDonald can be proud of his win as Best Chef. Not busy enough with a trio of restaurants, Pacific’o, I’o, and the Feast at Lele in the 505 Front Street Center in Lahaina, Chef James honed in on starting the eight acre O’o farm in Kula, which he uses to supply his restaurants with fresh produce, fruits, herbs and aromatics. Arriving in Hawaii at the young age of 19, Chef James has worked hard to reach celeb chef status, using not just his good looks, but a strong sense of loyalty and a desire to contribute to the community with his knowledge of pacific rim cuisine and business sense.
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Best Chinese Food, Winner
Dragon Dragon Chinese Restaurant

Address: 70 E. Ka‘ahumanu Ave., # B12, Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: 808-893-1628
Mmm…Lemon Chicken. In my humble opinion, you readers are so right on with this vote. I love Dragon Dragon. I have so many memories there. Most are filled with lemon chicken, fired rice and that yummy garlic spinach dish, but some are filled with almond float and green tea ice cream too. One of the best things about Dragon Dragon is that the food always tastes so fresh, comes in large quantities and always arrives on your tale ridiculously quick.
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Best Chinese Food, Runner up
Panda Express

Address: 275 W. Ka‘ahumanu Ave., 2nd Floor Foodcourt, Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: 808-877-5645
Fax: 808-871-2114
Website: http://www.pandaexpress.com
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Best Coffee House, Winner
Kihei Caffe

Address: 1945 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-879-2230
The only thing that I love more than the great view for people watching at the Kihei Caffe is their coffee and boy do they have great coffee! We’re talking always hot, fresh and caffeinated. Kihei Caffe is (obviously, according to our readers) the best place on the island to sit with their cup-o-joe on a sunny morning and watch crazy pedestrians, dedicated joggers and people in bathing suits scoot around on South Kihei Rd.
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Best Coffee House, Runner up
Bad Ass Coffee

Address: 275 W. Ka‘ahumanu Ave., Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: 808-877-5477
Email: info@badassmaui.com
Website: http://www.badassmaui.com
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Best Dining With A View, Winner
Sarento's On The Beach

Address: 2980 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-875-7555
Website: http://www.tristarrestaurants.com/sarentos_maui
If the election or any other mainland-centric hype-fest causes you to forget your own whereabouts, this place will remind you of how lucky you are to live on Maui. Competition is especially tough for this category, given the astonishing array of mindblowing landscapes on the island. From the patio at Sarento’s you have a sweeping view of the sparkling Pacific, Molokini, Kahoolawe, Lanai, and Maui’s coastline. Unless someone’s McCainesque mug is somehow blocking your view, there’s not a bad seat in the house. A killer wine list adds to the glow of a sunset viewed while dining at Sarento’s on the Beach.
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Best Dining With A View, Runner up
Seawatch

Address: 100 Wailea Golf Club Dr., Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-875-8080
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Best Dinner, Winner
Mama's Fish House

Address: 799 Poho Place, Paia, HI 96779
Phone: 808-579-8488
Website: http://www.mamasfishhouse.com
The fact that Mama’s Fish House prevails here is no surprise. I can tell you Maui Time foodies have your hearts set on Polynesian atmosphere, ocean front dining, fresh fish, nothing but the best for you. Everything on the menu is tastefully creative and almost-too-pretty-to-eat. Personally my favorites are the more simple dishes, like the grilled Portobello mushroom with sun dried tomato and our local Surfing Goat Dairy goat cheese. But you Maui Time reader order what ever you like, carte blanche, since you did all that tough voting and worked up your appetite for Best Dinner and all.
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Best Dinner, Runner up
Cafe O'Lei

Address: 62 N. Market St., Wailuku, HI 96793
Phone: 808-986-0044
Website: http://cafeoleirestaurants.com/
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Best Dishwasher EDIT PICK, Winner
Scott Kilmer, South Shore Tiki Lounge

Address: 1913 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-874-6444
Email: fun@southshoretikilounge.com
Website: www.southshoretikilounge.com
What can I say, except the man knows how to clean a glass. Many a night I have watched this bartender stand behind the South Shore Tiki Lounge bar, loading and unloading the dishwasher, trying to understand the nuances of his trade. Never have I seen him break a glass! Not one! I have no idea how he does his job, but he does it with élan and a professionalism that is seldom seen on this island.
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Best Farmers Market, Winner
Honokowai Farmers Market

Address: 3636 Lower Honoapi‘ilani Rd., Honokowai, HI 96761
Phone: 808-669-7004
All you folks on the west side have to look no further than the Honokowai Farmer’s Market to support your local farmers. According the votes, Maui Time readers who shop for fresh veggies and fruits like them here. If you have ever sliced open a fresh locally-grown papaya, juiced a fresh lemon over it and dove in with your spoon, you know the fresh fruit heaven Maui can provide. Don’t forget the sweet spiny pineapple, apple-banana, juicy mango or the harder to find guava and passion fruit. Most farmer’s markets on the island are only open a couple of days out of the week; after all, the farmers have to grow the food too! But you’ll find this one open Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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Best Farmers Market, Runner up
Maui Swap Meet, Kahului

Address: PO Box 1542, Kahului, HI 96733
Phone: 808-877-3100
Email: info@mauiexposition.com
Website: http://www.mauiexposition.com
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Best Female Bartender, Winner
Lynsey Poole, Dog And Duck

Address: 1913 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-875-9669
Go to a bar and get a drink done right by plopping down on a bar stool in front of Lynsey Poole at Dog and Duck. Voted by Maui Time readers as the best female bartender, Lynsey Poole has got a talent for understanding her crowd of customers and getting their drinks to them fast. She is endowed with wonderful super bartender powers, making you feel at home while you’re bellied up at South Maui’s Irish Pub. Her friendly service is spot on with every cocktail and draft, no matter how much you bend her ear with your buzz on.
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Best Female Bartender, Runner up
Amy Petersen, Dog And Duck

Address: 1913 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-875-9669
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Best Fine Dining, Winner
Lahaina Grill

Address: 127 Lahainaluna Rd., Lahaina, HI 96761
Phone: 808-667-5117
Website: http://www.lahainagrill.com
I know why the popular vote for Fine Dining goes to Lahaina Grill. Every year on my sister’s birthday we head to Lahaina Grill for our fine dining ritual. This is where we come to get away from kids, cooking and cleaning to be spoiled with impeccable service, filled with sumptuous food, and intoxicated on fancy liquor. The restaurant has an elegant Victorian vibe that brings out my inner 18th century decadence and diva. We get all gussied up and I eat fois gras and seared ahi with exotic gin and tonic, among other amazing food and drink pairings. A photographer may come around and shoot a few photos of our experience and email them to us. The chef may come out for a word or two. Or owner Jurg Munch could stop by our table and greet us. Our social experience is enriched as much as our culinary palate is satiated. We are absolutely fabulous for a few hours, then go home to the kids for our reality check.
| calendar | listing | Facebook | Twitter | Mautime.com Post 04-18-2010 |
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Best Fine Dining, Runner up
Spago

Address: 3900 Wailea Alanui, Wailea, HI 96753
Phone: 808-879-2999
Fax: 808-879-2995
Website: http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/finedining/spago/maui/index.php
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Best Fish & Chips, Winner
Alexander's Fish & Chips

Address: 1913 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-874-0788
Whenever we think of fish and chips, Alexander’s immediately pops into our minds. Why? Because the fish is deep-fried in a tempura-like, beer batter containing yummy herbs that ultimately results in a delectable creation. On top of that, they don’t mess around with their sauces. The tarter sauce served on the side is the traditional type, the way that any seafood lover’s condiments are supposed to be. Crisp french fries simply add to this wondrous meal, making it the obvious choice for the best fish and chips on Maui.
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Best Fish & Chips, Runner up
Paia Fish Market

Address: 2 Baldwin Ave., # A, Paia, HI 96779
Phone: 808-579-8030
Website: http://www.paiafishmarket.com
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Best Fish Sandwich, Winner
Paia Fish Market

Address: 2 Baldwin Ave., # A, Paia, HI 96779
Phone: 808-579-8030
Website: http://www.paiafishmarket.com
Eating a fish sandwich is a quintessential north shore Maui casual dining experience, and Maui Time readers are together with me on this one. It has a great people watching corner, Hana Highway and Baldwin Avenue. You go in, order your food and sit on the communal picnic benches and either chat with familiar faces or make new friends. When your fish sandwich arrives, hot and delicious, you can either add one of the many hot sauces they have provided at your table or chow it down as is. They make it with their homemade coleslaw in the sandwich and it’s splendid. Prices are sensible, the fish fresh, plus you get to choose what kind goes in your sandwich, from mahi mahi to ahi to ono. Mahi is the best if you ask me, but you don’t have to take my word for it, because Maui Time readers voted and they know best.
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Best Fish Sandwich, Runner up
Alexander's Fish & Chips

Address: 1913 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-874-0788
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Best Fish Tacos, Winner
Jawz Tacos

Address: 1279 South Kihei Rd., Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-874-8226
Website: http://www.jawzfishtacos.com
You can’t go wrong wrapping a few edible items in a tortilla. Yet doing so in a way that attempts to please everyone results in something not unlike your average piece of environmental legislation: it will sorta-kinda do, I guess. Kihei’s Jawz is the more rogue-ish of fish taco joints. It started out as a roadside taco wagon outside Makena Beach, but now comprises the aforementioned mobile unit as well as a spot in Azeka Mauka. Mahi mahi tacos are huge here. Added bonuses of a stationary location include spirited beverages (and thus happy hour), and a salsa bar. Oh, and I checked it out: there are veggie options.
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Best Fish Tacos, Runner up
Maui Tacos

Address: 2411 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-879-5005
Fax: 808-662-0717
Website: http://www.mauitacos.com
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Best Health Food Store, Winner
Hawaiian Moons

Address: 2411 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-875-4356
Website: http://hawaiianmoons.com
This time around, Hawaiian Moons beat out all other Maui natural foods titans to take the island’s top status as Best Health Food Store. So what kind of (soy-) beefing up does such an establishment do to accomplish this? As a long-time vegan I can vouch for this place, especially given their expansive supply of pesto sans Parmesan, and their vegan chocolate cake. But what stands out most here at Hawaiian Moons isn’t their hot food choices, or extensive salad bar, but the huge focus on locally made and grown products. Let’s all imagine an island where shipping costs for fresh produce and organic products don’t exist. Hawaiian Moons is taking us there one Kula strawberry at a time.
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Best Health Food Store, Runner up
Down To Earth

Address: 305 Dairy Rd., Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: 808-877-2661
Fax: 877-7548
Email: kahului@downtoearth.org
Website: http://www.downtoearth.org
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Best Ice Cream, Winner
Cold Stone Creamery

Address: 291 Pi‘ikea Ave. # 121, Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-875-8811
Website: http://www.coldstonecreamery.com
Like some politicians, I sometimes pay for pleasure. However, my self indulgence consists of mainly tipping teenagers so they grudgingly sing me reworked versions of show tunes while they mash choice toppings like fudge, strawberries and M&Ms into Cold Stone’s house-made ice creams. I guess Maui Time readers go for this kind of stuff too, since Cold Stone took it away at the polls for Best Ice Cream. I don’t need to tell you that some politicians should follow our lead. Ice cream at Cold Stone is pure creamy deliciousness. Not only will the servers serenade you, they serve up some of the most delicious ice cream concoctions designed by none other than yourself. You don’t even have to pay extra for that. Located island-wide.
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Best Ice Cream, Runner up
Lapperts

Address: 3750 Wailea Alanui Dr., # B33, Wailea, HI 96753
Phone: 808-879-1711
Website: http://www.lappertshawaii.com
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Best Italian Food, Winner
Casanova

Address: 1188 Makawao Ave., Makawao, HI 96768
Phone: 808-572-0220
Website: http://www.casanovamaui.com
I am so happy that our readers chose Casanova as the Best Italian Food winner because it’s so true! I’ll start with the focaccia bread, dipped in balsamic and olive oil. Orgasmic. No, really it is. My favorite main dish is the fungi pasta with chicken. It’s pretty exquisite–loads of mushrooms, buttery noodles and garlic–all heaped on a plate with tender strips of chicken breast. Not to mention, most nights, Casanova offers great late night entertainment that’s perfect for dancing off those extra, delicious, totally worth it calories.
| calendar | listing | Facebook | Mautime.com Post 04-21-2010 |
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Best Italian Food, Runner up
Penne Pasta Cafe

Address: 180 Dickenson St., # 113, Lahaina, HI 96761
Phone: 808-661-6633
Website: http://www.pennepastacafe.com
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Best Local Food, Winner
Kujo

Address: 385 Hoohana St., Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: 808-877-9080
Kujo knows local food and locals know Kujo. Take my neighbor for example; he loves Kujo just as much as you do. According to him, they have phenomenal katsu, a good beef tomato, are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the owners are nice and friendly. He actually used the term “local fabulous.” Something has got to be said for a place that has a “buy three plate lunches get the fourth one free” deal. They are tucked away in Kahului industrial, but once you find them you will know why Maui Time voters put Kujo at the top of local food on the island.
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Best Local Food, Runner up
Aloha Mixed Plate

Address: 1285 Front Street, Lahaina, HI 96761
Phone: 808-661-3322
Website: http://www.alohamixedplate.com
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Best Luau/Dinner Show, Winner
Feast at Lele

Address: 505 Front St., Lahaina, HI 96761
Phone: 808-667-5353
Website: http://www.feastatlele.com
Lele is the ancient name of Lahaina, and where the Royal family of Maui would sit and eat and entertain. It is not a coincidence that Maui Time readers would vote this Luau as one of Maui’s Best. It’s not just any luau. From their amazing ocean-front location (it’s like dining on the beach) to their five course Polynesian meal created and conceptualized by none other than Chef James McDonald to traditional hula from Samoa, Tahiti, New Zealand and of course, Hawaii, Feast at Lele captivates audiences. The food is tantalizingly remarkable and the romantic atmosphere is hot, hot, hot!
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Best Luau/Dinner Show, Runner up
Old Lahaina Luau

Address: 1251 Front St., Lahaina, HI 96761
Phone: 808-667-1998
Fax: 808-661-5176
Website: http://www.oldlahainaluau.com
| calendar | listing | Facebook | Twitter: @oldlahainaluau | Mauidish.com Post 4-10-2010 | Mauidish.com Post 4-10-2010 |
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Best Lunch, Winner
Da Kitchen

Address: 425 Koloa St., # 104, Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: 808-871-7782
Website: http://www.da-kitchen.com
Just saying “Da Kitchen” makes me hungry. Mega hungry. Good thing Da Kitchen makes people full. So full that I’m thinking it might not be a bad idea for them to invest in one of those dolly things to wheel people from their seats to their cars when they’re pau eating. Everything is good at Da Kitchen, but my favorite is the kalua pig plate with mac salad and a side of poi. The hamburger steak plate is a close second.
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Best Lunch, Runner up
Stella Blues

Address: 1279 South Kihei Rd., # 201, Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-874-3779
Website: http://www.stellablues.com
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Best Mai Tai, Runner up
Mama's Fish House

Address: 799 Poho Place, Paia, HI 96779
Phone: 808-579-8488
Website: http://www.mamasfishhouse.com
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Best Male Bartender, Winner
Renie Hamayelian, South Shore Tiki Lounge

Address: 1913 S. Kihei Rd., Kihei, HI 96753
Phone: 808-874-6444
Website: http://www.southshoretikilounge.com
I should probably disclose right now that I’ve had a major crush on Renie for about four years, but I promise I had nothing to do with the vote count. In fact, I’m pretty sure that hundreds, no thousands of Maui women have had the hots for Renie over the years. Alcohol does that to you. Scratch that, alcohol and a highly intelligent bartender who’s literate, articulate, rides a motorcycle, plays some pretty good poker and can pour a Guinness like a god does that to you. I have heard that there is a Mrs. Renie and I’d like to send out a congratulations on landing the best guy on the island, er, Best Male Bartender. I’ve heard that you totally deserve each other and hope that you’ll live happily ever after. Damn it, where’s my beer?!
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Best Male Bartender, Runner up
Dave, Milagros

Address: 3 Baldwin Ave., Paia, HI 96779
Phone: 808-579-8755
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Best Mexican Food, Winner
Las Piñatas

Address: 395 Dairy Rd., # J, Kahului, HI 96732
Phone: 808-877-8707
Las Piñatas is pretty much why I became an intern at Maui Time Weekly. Years ago, while enjoying a huge plate of delicious nachos, I stumbled across an issue. I also picked up a copy on another visit, while gorging myself on the scrumptious Kitchen Sink Burrito. From then on, I associated the euphoria I felt from my taste buds and the pleasant feeling of being full with this very publication. So there you have it: Las Piñatas is a fiesta for your mouth but beware! Your food high may cloud decision-making skills. At least it did for me. I love interning at Maui Time Weekly…just not as much as I love Las Piñatas.
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